The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1887-10-28
4 BOOK WORMS DEN.
THE QUEER ReopLe WHO HAVE a
MANIA FOR OlO VOLUMES.
How the Habit Of Book Buying Grows
aud t. Cultivated hy Book sellers.
Hobbies of the Old and Young Worms.
Rare Rocks

There goes one Of the most confirmed
I book worms in the city Of New York, !"
! said a clerk in big Broadway book store
/ the other day a. an old man with q be
nevolent looking face and long white hair
passed ont Of The store with two very old
and very valuable books under his arm
| His face bore look Of contentment and
he seemed 10 De satisfied with himself
and all the world / watched him until
he boarded a Broadway car and sat down
to gloat over his latest possessions The
sight was fascinating, and gazeG at the
fast disappearing car until the voice Of
the clerk called me hack from mental
vision Of old musty shelves filed with
older and muster books. whose bindings
time has fringed and -calloped with gen
er0us hand.
Rather interesting to look at real
book worm. isn't it, said the clerk.
lyon hear people call each other book
worms simply because they are always
reading. hut they are not true, musty
smelling book worms What are they;
What's The genuine article, Well. I'll
tell YOU 4 genuine book worm j. a man
or woman (Which latter H. rarely the case
who goes 10 a book store once or twice "A
week. without knowing just what he
wants lie has 10 definite idea Of buying
ANYTHING, hut before he knows il he has
one or two good books They come 70 see
If anything new has been received. if 50.
and il is interesting, they buy il. and
never object 10 the price As a rule they
are men past middle age, bHt there are
some young men who are studying for
profession. but they usually buy only
those books which treat of the profession
they are studying Then we have some
doctors and lawyers who are confirmed
book worms Altogether think there
are about 80 book worms in New York.
and about eighty of them are regular Gus
TONERS Of ours.
\ strange fact in connection with book
worms. the clerk said, was that ,hey very
seldom visited the public Libraries. They
think that if q book j. interesting enough
To read IL is interesting enough Ia buy,
and buy 1t they do, even II they have 10
deny themselves the necessaries Of life 20
raise money enough 10 get the book
But are they not great and insuffer-
able bores," asked the clerk as
thumbcd disreputable looking copy Of
an old Latin prayer book thar bore the
date 1873. The clerk smiled
"Bores. ] should say not do not
think there is q bookseller iH this city
who would be hard hearted enough. TO
discourage book worm that pays him
professional visit In fact they will
gladly pui mp with The worm = qnips
and faucie- la order to have hi- trade
Wh, know q bookseller who refused 10
sell Am old Bibe-one THAT was yellow
with age-iust because he saw worm
looking al if the day before: and be was
RIGHT The worm bought the Bible and
now Is a regular customer. ifsa pity.
too. for he spends every cent he can get
for books old books. new books. and
books. book. books seem 20 be- The only
thing. hc lives for.
While speaking of book worms in gen
eral. am old man entered the store fol-
lowed by q younger one The old man
looked mustv himself and ihe clerk
whispered.
There is one of the antiquarian--a
genuine worm. That young man L.
worm. too. Now. ID vye approach him
gently think the old gentleman will
give YOU some tips Hes one of the most
confirmed worm. ever saw. and. al
though he wears ~habh, clothes. he lives
fairly well lie spend, fully Sl0o0 a
year 0n books. and manages 10 live Dn
from 500 to $500 Hes genuine.
The old gentleman was introduced and
talked freely about his hobby. winding up
by inviting me 10 inspect bis collection
As left the clerk said. Now. you'l u SEQ
$4,000 worth of books Don't ask too
many questions and when he gets started
keep quiet and listen io him Hen tell
you all be knows.
The old gentleman was Chesterfeldian
in his pOlitcue~s. and as gallant a. the
knights you read about I'm the mediPyal
ages. Uptown in the elevated 90 One
Hundred and Twenty fifth street We went.
and then 10 One Hundred and Thirty
second street near Eighth avenue Here
Is little twO-story building and TIM, was
the book worm home The old gentle
man apOlOgized for his mtidy house. and
conducted me 10 his den. room ia the
second story Books and books and
DOORS. lllu ever STE 80 Ulill nuph0 bul-
side Of book store, What Jolly mid
night lunches The worms and the mice
and the moths must have among those
musty, time decorated, dust hidden vol
umes. would live in One Hundred and
Thrty-second street near Eighth avenue
were mOnse. The little old man looked
as dried up and as musty as his books
lie picked up a volume with beech wood
covers. There were faint lines on the
cOyers-lincs that looked as If they had
been traced there by some hand, which
was now like the dust that covered the
book. The lines were CHASTITY in their
fantastic tracery.
This is Bibla Sacra Latina, he said
at was printed in Venice. and is what
they usually call Monk Latin Il is very
old. The date says il Is over 400 years
old. The date l. 1875. Look inside II
is my prize. You see the initials are
drawn by hand in red, black and blue ink
They are bright They used good ink in
those days
The book was indeed treasure. The
pages were not numbered, and the text is
In sections ia the center Of each page
Surrounding these are various interpreta-
tious by the monk who did the illuminat-
ing Of the initials
Here. said the worm. smiling. lis
book prize next tony 'Bibla Sacra Lati-
ma II Is. as you see, a copy of a dis